Checkers to Sign Matthew Pistilli, Trevor Cann to Tryout Contracts

Apparently a little banged up from their last game against San Antonio, the Checkers will summo a few reinforcements for this afternoon’s rematch.

Forward Matthew Pistilli and goaltender Trevor Cann are joining the team for the 1:30 match-up against San Antonio. Both will signed professional tryout contracts from the Checkers’ ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades.

It was not immediately clear which Checkers players have either been ruled out or are in question for this afternoon’s game. Forwards Aaron Palushaj, Chris Terry and Victor Rask were all shaken up at one point or another by hard crashes into the boards, though all three were able to finish the game. John Muse has played each of the last two games, showing no ill effects in Friday’s 4-3 victory.

Pistilli, a former Carolina Hurricanes prospect, begins his third AHL stint of this season and second with the Checkers. The ECHL’s scoring leader at the time of his first trip to Charlotte on Dec. 27, Pistilli has 12 points (5g, 7a) in 27 AHL games with the Checkers and Bridgeport this season. Since the Checkers released him on Feb. 7, Pistilli played 13 games on another PTO with Bridgeport, scoring four points in 13 games until the Sound Tigers cut him loose just last week.

The Checkers did not have extra forwards available on their roster, with Greg Nemisz and Brendan Woods already injured.

Cann, a 24-year-old originally chosen by Colorado in the second round of the 2007 draft, is 14-9-1 with a 3.00 goals-against average and .890 save percentage with the Everblades this season. He has played 45 career AHL games, all with Lake Erie between 2009-2012, going 14-25-1 with a 3.17 goals-against average and .895 goals-against average. If he were to appear in a game for the Checkers, he would become the 10th goaltender to do so, extending a team record.